The Crown Prince of Shallott
by ChaosPeacecraft
Summary: Who is this? and what is here? And in the guarded castle near... But Miss Noin mused a little space She said, He has a lovely face...


DISCLAIMER: I don't own Gundam Wing so don't try to sue me. I don't own the original poem of "The Lady Of Shallott" (written by Lord Tennyson Alfred) so don't try to sue me for that either. *re-reads disclaimer* Wow, that's the shortest I've done yet... 

AN: I love this poem! It's incredible, and I first heard it (as a song composed by Loreena McKennitt) in Grade 7, so it changed me even if I didn't know it at the time. Thus, I decided to present it to you the readers because it's too good a thing to go unnoticed. Of course, being myself, I'm presenting it to ya via 6x9... =^.^=   
  


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**The Crown Prince of Shallott**   
(spoofed by ChaosPeacecraft)   
  
PART I   
  
On either side the river lie   
Long fields of barley and of rye,   
That clothe the wold and meet the sky   
And thro' the field the road run by   
To many-tower'd Luxembourg;   
And up and down the people go,   
Gazing where the roses grow   
Round an island there below,   
The island of Shallott.   
  
Willows whiten, aspens quiver,   
Little breezes dusk and shiver   
Thro' the wave that runs for ever   
By the island in the river   
Flowing down to Luxembourg.   
Four grey walls, and four grey towers,   
Overlook a space of flowers,   
And the silent isle imbowers   
The Crown Prince of Shallott.   
  
By the margin, willow veil'd   
Slide the heavy barges trail'd   
By slow horses; and unhail'd   
The shallop flitteth silken-sail'd   
Skimming down to Luxembourg:   
But who hath seen him wave his hand?   
Or at the casement seen him stand?   
Or is he known in all the land,   
The Crown Prince of Shallott?   
  
Only pilots, flying early   
In among the lane-wrought barley   
Hear a song that echoes merely   
As the wind that blows on dearly,   
Down to tower'd Luxembourg:   
And by the moon the pilot weary,   
Driving suits in uplands airy,   
Listening, whispers, " 'Tis the leery   
Crown Prince of Shallott."   
  
PART II   
  
There he paints by night and day   
A magic set where faces lay.   
He has heard a whisper say,   
A curse is on him if he stay   
To look down to Luxembourg.   
He knows not what the curse may be,   
And so he painteth steadily,   
And little other care hath he,   
The Crown Prince of Shallott.   
  
And moving thro' a mirror clear   
That hangs before him all the year   
Shadows of the world appear.   
There he sees the highway near   
Winding down to Luxembourg:   
There the river eddy whirls,   
And there the surly village-churls,   
And the red cloaks of market girls,   
Pass onward from Shallott.   
  
Sometimes a troop of knights gold-clad,   
A viscount an an Aries mad,   
Sometimes a curly shepherd-lad,   
Or long-hair'd mage in crimson glad,   
Goes by to tower'd Luxembourg;   
And sometimes thro' the mirror's hue   
The maids come riding bright and true:   
He hath no love to serve onto,   
The Crown Prince of Shallott.   
  
But in his set he still delights   
To draw the mirror's magic sights,   
For often thro' the silent nights   
A funeral, with plumes and lights   
And music, went to Luxembourg:   
Or when the moon lay overhead,   
Came two young lovers lately wed:   
"I am half sick of shadows," said   
The Crown Prince of Shallott.   
  
PART III   
  
A bow-shot from his bower-eaves,   
She rode between the barley-sheaves,   
The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,   
And flamed upon the beaming greaves   
Of bold Lucrezia Noin.   
A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd   
To a general in her shield,   
That sparkled on the burnish'd field,   
Beside remote Shallott.   
  
The gemmy bridle glitter'd free,   
Like to some branch of stars we see   
Hung in the golden galaxy.   
The bugle calls rang merrily   
As she rode down to Luxembourg:   
And from her blazon'd baldric slung   
A mighty silver rapier hung,   
And as she rode her armour rung,   
Beside remote Shallott.   
  
Now in the blue unclouded weather   
Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather,   
The helmet and the helmet-emblem   
Burn'd like one burning flame together,   
As she rode down to Luxembourg.   
As often thro' the purple night,   
Below the starry clusters bright,   
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,   
Moves over still Shallott.   
  
Her soft clear eyes in sunlight glow'd;   
On burnish'd hooves her war-horse trode;   
From underneath her helmet flow'd   
Her raven rays as on she rode,   
As she rode down to Luxembourg.   
From the bank and from the river   
She flash'd into the crystal mirror,   
"Tirra lirra," by the river   
Sang Lucrezia Noin.   
  
He left the brush, he left the gloom   
He made three paces 'cross the room,   
He saw the water-lily bloom,   
He saw the helmet and the plume,   
He look'd down to Luxembourg.   
Back blew his pale mane floating wide;   
The mirror crack'd from side to side;   
"The curse is come upon me," sighed   
The Crown Prince of Shallott.   
  
PART IV   
  
In the stormy north-wind straining,   
The pale yellow woods were waning,   
The broad stream in his banks complaining,   
Heavily the low sky raining   
Over tower'd Luxembourg;   
Down he came and found a boat   
Beneath a willow left afloat,   
And round about the prow he wrote   
The Crown Prince of Shallott.   
  
And down the river's dim expanse   
Like some bold monarch in a stance,   
Seeing all his own mischance--   
With an icy countenance   
Did he look to Luxembourg.   
And at the setting of the day   
He loosed the chain, and down he lay;   
The rough stream bore him far away,   
The Crown Prince of Shallott.   
  
Lying, robed in snowy white   
That loosely flew to left and right--   
The leaves upon him falling light--   
Thro' the noises of the night   
He floated down to Luxembourg:   
And as the boat-head wound along   
The darken'd hills and fields among,   
They heard him singing his last song,   
The Crown Prince of Shallott.   
  
Heard a carol, mournful, holy   
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,   
Till his blood was frozen slowly,   
And his eyes were deaden'd wholly,   
Turn'd to tower'd Luxembourg.   
For then he reach'd upon the tide   
The first suit by the fortress-hide,   
Singing in his song he died,   
The Crown Prince of Shallott.   
  
Under fort and balcony,   
By cannon-wall and armory,   
A gleaming shape he floated by,   
Dead-pale between the towers high,   
Silent into Luxembourg   
Out upon the wharfs they came,   
Duke and Lady, knight and dame,   
And round the prow they read his name,   
The Crown Prince of Shallott.   
  
Who is this? and what is here?   
And in the guarded castle near   
Royal victory arose to tears;   
And they cross'd themselves for fear,   
All the knights at Luxembourg:   
But Miss Noin mused a little space;   
She said, "He has a lovely face;   
God in His mercy lend his grace,   
The Crown Prince of Shallott."   
  


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AN: See? Didn't I tell ya it was awesome? Wanna read the original? Go to: http://charon.sfsu.edu/TENNYSON/TENNLADY.HTML (dumb FF.net won't let me put links...) Btw, did you catch who the Duke and Lady were? *huge idiotic grin* 


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